Playing ball



H. T. OWEN PLAYING BALL Aug. 27, 1940.

Filed Aug. 31, 1938 3 m HERBf/W' 7T OWE/V Patented Aug. 27, 1940 STATE UNITE" IPA'EENT 7 Claims.

The present invention relates to play balls, particularly to a light weight ball that is peculiarly suited for practicing golf, either indoors w or-outdoors.

" One object of the present invention is to provide a novel light weight ball of such resilience and texture as to correspond substantially in feel, when struck with a golf club, to a standard golf ball.

Another object is to provide a ball of such weightand resilience thatit will travel a relatively shortdistancewhen struck with a golf club.

Another object isto "provide such a novel ball having a peculiar, slightly rough surface that contributes to the resilience of the ball, and that will offer sufiicient airresistance to retard the progress of the ball through the air, and further that will, when the travelling ball is spinning improperly, set up air currents that act upon the ballto change its course, whereby defective swinging ofgolf clubs in striking the ball will'result' in a markedly curved flight, emphasizing suchfaults as the hook and slice in the. game of golf.

I Still another object is to provide a novel ball that is attractive in-appearance, and one that is inexpensive to manufacture, yet which will be sufficiently resistant torough usage and to moisture to render it relatively long lived and satisfactory in use.

A further object'is to provide a novel method of manuf'a'cturingloalls of the type herein disclosed.

I have discovered that a mass of crumpled Cellophone, when tightly compressed into a sphere,- has a degree of resilience that gives to the sphere a feel that is surprisingly similar to that of a golf ball of standard construction.

A ball comprising essentially a mass of crumpled Cellophane, held in compressed spherical form hasother peculiar features and qualities that render it entirely suitable for practicing golf, either indoors or outdoors.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective View of a sheet of Cellophanecrumpled into-a roughly spherical mass as thefirst step in the method of making a ball according to this invention.

Figure 2 is'a plan view of a ball constructed in accordance with the invention.

Figure 3 is a plan view of a slightly modified form of ball produced by an additional step in'the method.

Figure 4 is a sectional view through the center of the ball illustrated in Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a mass of crumpled Cellophane ribbons from which a ball may be manufactured by the present method.

Figure 6 is a plan view of a ball made from a mass of ribbons such as shown in Figure 5.

Figure '7 is a greatly enlarged sectional view of a small portion of a ball adjacent its surface, the folds and convolutions of the body of the ball being shown somewhat opened to illustrate the structure of the ball and to show the character of the surface of the ball.

In the process of making a ball such as that 15 shown Figure 2, a sheet of Cellophane is crumpled into a relatively loose, roughly spherical mass it, such as is illustrated in Figure 1. The crumpled mass it comprises irregular convolutions ii that extend in haphazard fashion through the mass, and the somewhat rounded longitudinal margins of such convolutio-ns form such outer surface as the mass may be said. to have. Hollow folds l2 lie between the various convolutions of the mass. I 25 The crumpled, roughly spherical mass i6 is tightly compressed into a spherical body it of the standard size of golf balls, suchbody being shown in Figure 2. The compressing opertion reduces the convolutions ii to many small and irregular folds i l, some of which extend to the surface of the body where they appear as fine, irregular wrinkles [5, covering the surface, upon which they extend in haphazard fashion. During the compressing eparation, the hollows l2 are reduced to minute crevices it extending in irregular fashion through the'body it between the folds M, and appearing at the surface as fine crevices or creases ll lying between the Wrinkles Hi.

In order to fix the compressed spherical body against losing its form, due to the resilience of the crumpled Cellophane, it is dipped into a liquid adhesive, preferably a solution of Cellophane, which impregnates the body adjacent the 45 surface by flowing intothe creases H and the crevices Hi. This adhesive, upon drying, secures the folds together against separating without destroying the rough character of the surface imparted by the wrinkles and creases ll. Be- 56 side securing the folds Hitogether, the adhesive coats the Wrinkles 55' and stiffens them somewhat, thereby reinforcing them against permanent distortion by contact with'unyielding objects, and-adding to their-resilience.- 7

A ball of this structure may be used to replace a standard golf ball for practice purposes with entire satisfaction, but a stronger and longer lived ball may be obtained by additionally reinforcing such a ball. In order to so reinforce such a ball, and to strengthen it against deformation without adversely affecting its desirable qualities, a strand l 8 may be passed through and through the body of the ball from a plurality of different points to form stitches H), the loops of which lie upon the surface of the ball. The stitches may be applied in an irregular manner since their function is more the reinforcement of the ball against distortion than the holding together of the folds of Cellophane that make up the ball.

Advantageously the strand I8 is a ribbon of cellophane, this material being inexpensive and having adequate strength for its intended purpose. Its small weight permits irregular stitching of the body without adversely affecting the balance of the ball. Obviously, if it is desirable to do so, the stitching may be applied in a precise and regular manner by employing appropriate methods and apparatus. The stitching may be applied in any suitable manner, preferably after the ball has been dipped in the adhesive liquid and the latter has been allowed to set.

Balls of a similar nature and having similar qualities may be made from Cellophane in the form of narrow ribbons instead of sheet form. In Figure 5, a mass of crumpled Cellophane ribbons 2D is illustrated. This mass is in many respects similar to the mass E of Figure 1, the chief differences being that the ends and edges of some of the ribbons are exposed at the surface in addition to the folds and wrinkles in the bodies of the ribbons.

The mass of ribbons is compressed into spherical form of the size of standard golf balls, and then is dipped in Cellophane solution, the solution impregnating the body of the ball so formed adjacent its surface and upon drying, fixes the ribbons in the positions in which the compressing operation placed them.

A ball made from a mass of ribbons as above described is illustrated in Figure 6. The surface of such ball is formed by the ends H, the edges 22, and wrinkles and folds 23 in the bodies of the ribbons. The surface also presents many fine, irregular creases 24 lying between the ribbons or in the folds thereof. Stitching similar to that illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 may be employed if desired.

In a ball made from ribbons, as in one made of Cellophane in sheet form, the dried adhesive upon and adjacent the surface serves to stiffen the irregularly distributed, slightly projecting portions of the ribbons, giving qualities of stiffness and resilience additional to that of the material of which the ribbons are composed. It also serves to fix the ribbons against displacement, separation, or unfolding.

The herein described balls are peculiarly suited for use in practicing golf. Their light weight and resilient quality permit them to be used indoors without danger of damaging Walls and furniture or of injuring persons. Their resistance to moisture, due both to the insolubility of Cellophane in water and the coating of the surface which prevents absorption of moisture by the body, permits them to be used outdoors under normal conditions of moisture. Where space permits, the flight of these balls after being struck with golf clubs may be observed as an indicator of improper handling of the club in making a stroke. It is well known that faulty use of a golf club results in the head of the club striking the ball at an improper angle whereby an improper spin is imparted to the ball, such improper spins resulting in hooks or slices according to the direction of the spins. The rough surfaces of the herein described balls, when spinning through the air, set up air currents that accentuate the effect of the spin upon the flight of the balls, this effect probably being contributed to by the light weight of the balls, and as the light weight and rough surfaces tend to produce a relatively slow and rapidly decreasing rate of travel through the air, an improperly spinning ball will follow a relatively short and sharply curving path.

Another advantage possessed by balls of this structure is that they are firm and relatively hard and unyielding to blows. The impact of a club upon such a ball gives to the user a sensation closely approximating that of striking a golf ball of standard construction.

The amount of material used in balls of this type may vary. A ball that is well suited for golf practice may be made from about threeeighths to one-half ounce, when such a quantity of Cellophane is pressed to the size of the usual golf ball, the compactness and resilience being such that the ball will have the desirable qualities above mentioned. The weight of the adhesive applied to the ball, and that of stitching when employed, are negligible so far as appreciable effect upon the ball is concerned.

At present Cellophane is regarded as the best material for making the balls because of its physical characteristic of resilience when crumpled, its moisture resistant qualities, its toughness and its low cost. Similarly a Cellophane solution or liquid Cellophane is regarded as the most suitable adhesive, not only because of its affinity for Cellophane, but because it dries to a resilient, moisture resistant film that contributes to the stiffness and resilience of the material in the body of the ball, and firmly unites the outer portion against loosening and damage.

Another advantage possessed by Cellophane is that it is produced in many brilliant colors, and it also has a sparkling appearance when crumpled. These qualities of appearance make balls made of such material arresting and attractive to purchasers. The appearance may be made more striking by using for stitching the body of the ball a Cellophane ribbon of vividly contrasting color. Colors that show up readily under the conditions of use may also be selected to reduce the possibility of loss.

While Cellophane and Cellophane solution are for the foregoing reasons regarded as superior materials, other materials that possess the essential quality of resilience after being crumpled and compressed, and other adhesives may be used. For example, cellulose derivatives other than Cellophane may be used when they have the necessary quality.

The herein disclosed method of making the balls is simple and inexpensive since it may be performed without expensive apparatus, and the balls made rapidly by unskilled labor.

From the foregoing it is thought that the construction of the articles and the method of manufacture will be apparent to those skilled in the art, as will the advantages, Without further description, and it will be understood that changes in the size, shape and minor details may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim: 1. A playing ball'comprising a spherical body of crumpled sheet material that has the quality of being resilient after being crumpled, the convolutions of said crumpled sheet material being adjacent the surface of the body secured by an adhesive.

2. A playing ball comprising a spherical body of crumpledand compressed cellulose derivative in sheet form, said derivative having the quality of being resilient after being crumpled, the convolutions of the crumpled and compressed cellulose derivative adjacent the surface of the body being held together by an adhesive, and a strand extending through and through the body in the form of stitches.

3. A playing ball comprising a spherical body of compressed, crumpled cellulose derivative in ribbon form, said derivative having the quality of being resilient after being crumpled, the respective ribbons adjacent the surface, and the convolutions of the ribbons adjacent the surface being respectively held together and fixed adhesively.

4. A playing ball comprising a spherical body of crumpled sheet-like cellulose derivative having the quality of being resilient. after having been crumpled, the convolutions of the crumpled body being exposed and forming a rough,

wrinkled surface, said convolutions being hardened and secured together adjacent the surface of the body by an adhesive.

5. A playing ball comprising a spherical body of crumpled and compressed Cellophane, the convolutions of the crumpled Cellophane adjacent the surface being fixed and secured together by an adhesive, and said convolutions presenting many fine, irregular wrinkles upon the surface of the spherical body. I

6. A play ball comprising a spherical body of crumpled and compressed sheet Cellophane, the said body having a slightly rough, wrinkled surface, the Wrinkles of the surface being the margins of the convolutions of the crumpled Cellophane sheet, the convolutions of the sheet adjacent the surface of the body being adhesively secured together, and a ribbon of Cellophane extending through and through the body in the form of stitches.

7. A playing ball comprising a body of a plurality of crumpled Cellophane ribbons compressed to spherical form, the convolutions and the body.

HERBERT T. OWEN. 

